Anyone who has gone shopping for art supplies will know that there are a wide range of choices and a lot of intimidating artsy technical terms. As a young artist with no art training, I didn't know which supplies would give me the most for my hard-earned babysitting money, what I did and didn't need, and what I should buy first if I couldn't afford to get everything at once.

People often ask me what to get if they are learning to paint on a budget, or simply don't want to commit too much money to a new hobby at the beginning. This is the advice I usually give, based on my own trial and error experience. I hope it will be useful if you are starting out.

Choosing a Medium: Watercolor vs. Acrylic

There are several different kinds of paints, and each will produce a different look. I have experience with the two most popular, watercolor and acrylic, so I will discuss only these two.

Tags: paint, canvas, supplies, watercolor, advice, beginner